WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan on Wednesday met with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal as the two sides' diplomatic wrangle over an American pastor remains unsolved.
In a brief statement, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said Sullivan and Onal "discussed a range of bilateral matters including Pastor Brunson."
Earlier on Tuesday, Nauert said in a press briefing that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had spoken on Monday with his Turkish counterpart, without giving more details.
The U.S. Treasury last week sanctioned Turkish Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu, saying they had "played leading roles in the organizations responsible for the arrest and detention of Pastor Andrew Brunson."
In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry vowed to "retaliate" against U.S. "aggression" over the case of Andrew Brunson "without any delay," and called on Washington to reverse its decision.